This invention relates to yarn package forming apparatus and is more particularly concerned with means for forming a skein of yarn used in various yarn treatment operations in the textile industry, such as in yarn dyeing operations.
A considerable amount of yarn used in the textile industry is wound on cones, which are then processed to form a skein, with the skein being used for treating the yarn in a number of processing operations, such as heat setting and dyeing. There have been a number of prior art apparatus designed which will form a skein of yarn wherein each revolution of a skein is parallel, causing substantial contact with adjacent yarn revolutions. One problem with this type of yarn skein is that the porosity of the yarn package is very dense which will obstruct impregnation of dye material or other yarn treating media.
There have been a number of attempts to provide a yarn skein package having sufficient porosity to permit the dye material to effectively impregnate the revolutions of yarn. One of these prior art yarn packages is formed by making a number of small revolutions of yarn and then successfully applying these small revolutions in a circular path about the axis of rotatable support means, with the plurality of revolutions forming a vertically stacked skein consisting of a number of revolutions. The major disadvantage with this type of yarn package occurs when it is necessary to remove the yarn from the skein package for rewinding the yarn on additional support means, wherein the small revolutions of yarn become tangled, requiring the machine to be stopped.
Another problem with the prior art skein forming apparatus is that a number of skeins are formed simultaneously on a frame support means which is provided with a common drive and control means. After a skein package is formed a doffing operation is effected by stopping the machine and removing the skein. The doffing of the skein from the prior art apparatus requires considerable machine down-time, which substantially reduces the skein production of the machine.
Another problem with the prior art skein forming apparatus is in the backwinding of the skein to cones of material. The prior art backwinding operations requires that the yarn be exhausted from one skein of material and that an additional skein be connected with the machine in a stopped position.
A further problem with the prior art skein packages results from the interwoven length of material used to hold the yarn package together, which yarn package easily becomes disarrayed causing the center opening to be difficult to locate when it is necessary to position the center opening on yarn handling means.